THIS is the season for over-indulgence. But as dietician Tracey Parkington points out, eating heavily on Christmas Day doesn't mean you have to be a blimp come January. Health reporter ROGER AIREY reports

THE last thing that you want to be thinking about at around Christmas is your weight, it is something that belongs in January along with all the other resolutions isn't it?

But how many times have you vowed to lose weight in the New Year but failed to manage it? The thing to remember is it's not too late to retrive the situation, even if you've eaten too much in the last four days.

To understand a bit about why we gain weight we need to look back in history.

Tracey is employed by Blackburn, Hyndburn and Ribble Valley Healthcare Trust and works at Bangor Street Health Centre.

She said: "As hunters and gatherers, humans went through periods of feast and then famine.

"When food was plentiful they ate well and when the food ran out they lived off the fat from their bodies. Those with little body fat did not survive.

"The survivors were the ones that were best able to store larger amounts of body fat and it is from these ancestors that we are descended today.

"And although we rarely see famine we are still extremely good at storing energy in the form of fat. Our bodies have a large number of fat cells which expand like balloons as they are filled with excess fat. The number of fat cells we have can increase through overeating and then subsequent weight loss can become even harder, although not impossible.

"Therefore it is much better to try to prevent weight gain rather than trying to lose it after Christmas. The question is how?"

HERE are a few tips on curbing an expanding waistline as the Christmas feasting turns into the annual round of New Year parties:

Buffets are danger zones as we all eat more than we are offered a larger selection of foods.

Some people won't eat all day beforehand but this will make you hungrier and prone to eat more therefore having a small, low fat meal before you go can make it easier to have just a small amount at the party.

Always use low calorie mixers in your drinks, a can of cola has seven teaspoons of sugar in it so by having a diet option can significantly cut your calorie intake.

Swap a couple of glasses of alcohol for glasses of water throughout the evening, not only can this save you taking in excess calories it will also help prevent the hangovers which are worsened by dehydration.

Getting groovy on the dance floor will help burn up energy.

It takes 20 minutes after starting eating for your stomach to register that it is full.

By this time you could have got through a significant amount of food!

By eating slowly you will not only enjoy your food more but you will notice you will actually eat less.

Leftovers can mean that feasts go on well into the New Year.

Buying less food in initially can be kinder on the purse and well on the waistband but if you do have food lying around then remember it is already waste whether you eat it or not, is it better as waste in the bin or under the skin?

Xxxxxx

xxxxxxx

Keep the fat off -

it's easier

good

it'll do

you

Weighty secret goes back to days of our hunting ancestors

...and here are our tips on cutting the calories

Eat early, shun buffet and then get groovy

PIE IN THE SKY?: Modern man has inherited his eating habits from his prehistoric forebears